'Housewife' Taylor Armstrong has advice for Rihanna, Chris Brown

In the new issue of Life & Style magazine, Taylor Armstrong offers some advice to Rihanna and Chris Brown.

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Taylor Armstrong is no stranger to the topic of domestic violence. She's discussed the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of her late husband, Russell Armstrong, on her reality show. She's even written about it in her book, "Hiding from Reality." Now she hopes her experience might lead others to listen to her advice and warnings -- specifically, a couple of very famous "others."

In a new interview with Life & Style Weekly, Armstrong discussed singer Rihanna's recent choice to work with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown three years after he attacked her, and how she thinks the former couple should handle things now.

"I hope they'll make a statement about what transpired over the past three years that makes it safe for them to be around each other now," Armstrong said. "If someone has slapped you, shoved you or pushed you, things will always escalate. They don't get better -- they get worse -- unless some type of intervention is done via therapy or separation."

And Armstrong believes Brown, in particular, needs to "be a man" and speak up about that now.

"He needs to come out and say, 'I did something really wrong, and let me tell you what I've done since then to be a better person," she insisted. "This is a real opportunity for him to step up and be a man."